CARNEGIE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Steve and his team built our beautiful custom home. The details and craftsmanship within the home are all top of the line. While we purchased our home almost two years our relationship had not ended there with Steve. Steve has helped us countless times over the past few years with small jobs. He is always responsive to all of our calls and extremely professional.

Carnegie Development handled all of our remodel and design needs to complete our project when remodeling the home. When Steve the owner of the business arrived at the house there was an instant connection, I could tell that this individual was a professional. While touring the home with the contractor he noticed some safety concerns with the hot water heater. We knew the hot water heater needed to be replaced but didn't realize the potential hazard of the old tank. Before we even decided on a contractor, Steve had a new hot water heater ready and installed for us the next day. I knew then that this was our contractor, because the amount of concern Steve, (being a family man himself) had for my family's safety took priority over the bid he was preparing. Steve is a luxury home builder, and is very knowledgeable in his field. He was punctual along with his subcontractors and always professional. We were always in the know of the status of the project and budget concerns. Steve speaks Spanish fluently and communicates well with his sub contractors, we were never concerned of any disconnect or confusion. Carnegie Development completed the entire project on time and stayed within budget. We had several contractors place bids on our large remodel project but choosing Carnegie Development was an easy choice. I firmly believe you get what you pay for, Carnegie Development was not the lowest bid we received but definitely the right choice. Quality worth the price. I would highly recommend Carnegie Development for all your home and remodel needs if you want the project done right the first time.

It went very well.

The owner, Steve Swartz is a pleasure to work with.  His work is A+ quality and he stands behind it.  You will not find a better and more honest contractor.  He is not the cheapest contractor, but you pay for what you get.  When you pay a little more, you get better quality and warranty and comfort that the work is completed properly.

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Steve did an excellent job, on time, on budget.  He delivered on exactly what we demanded from him.  We have had some issues with the cabinets since the project has been finished, but Steve has been very attentive and has worked to address them, which has been great.  I think the true value of a contractor is not when everything goes according to plan, but when there are challenges and he/she works with the homeowner to resolve those issues in a timely manner.  Steve has done just that and I would reccomend him for anyone looking to have contracting work done to their home/condo.

We found Steve to be very honest and straight forward. He was worth every penny as his input during the planning process was invaluable. He gave us great advice as to what would look good and where we should go to pick out what we wanted. We delayed doing a rennovation because we didn't know exactly what we wanted. When we met Steve, the few things we had picked out went out the door because he had a better idea. We picked it out - He picked it up. He even came with us to pick out our granite countertops. The bathroom and kitchen look better than I ever hoped or imagined they would.  
The only added expense that came up after the estimate was a new sub flooring, which in comparison to the cost of the project, that was nothing. Things went reasonably smoothly. Steve asked before he started work that we bring any concerns or problems to his attention. Anything we brought up, he quickly addressed and did what he could to fix. I have never met someone so available by phone. There were a few minor things that I saw happening and didn't speak up about and should have, such as "Why did the painter's prime around the new fixtures in the bathroom? Well, obviously they will take them down when they paint tomorrow." Nope, they didn't. But I should have followed Steve's advice and just brought it up after seeing the priming job and I am confident he would have made sure they came down for the paint job if it mattered to me.
The guy who did the floors was A+++++. The guys who installed the cabinets were A++++ The painters and guy who did the backsplash were ok. After the first two left the place spotless, I had very high expectations for the painters and the backsplash tiler.
The project did take a lot longer than expected. Our countertops were a big delay- I kind of forget now what happened. There were a lot of understandable delays with a reason, and some things I think just kind of got forgotten, like I waited a week to ask why the microwave wasn't plugged in (it needed a hole drilled in the cabinet to plug in) and within a day it was done. The only thing I wish I had done differently was to be better at asking questions when something wasn't as I thought it should be. But here we are almost a year later and very happy with our "new" kitchen and bathroom.

After being denied and once flat out abandoned by 11 contractors, I found Steve. Most contractors did want to touch this project. I own a single family home in south Boston that is about 14 inches away from my neighbors house. Both my neighbor and I have roof that pitch toward each other. Their roofline actually touches my house slightly below my roofline. So whenever it rained the water from both roofs went down the side of my house. This went undetected for a number of years because the gap between the houses in front and back is blocked by some type of siding. This started two years ago when I had a mold remediation company come in to take care of some mold in my basement. They realized the moisture was coming from the above walls. After further investigation, by removing the interior walls on two floors, they realized just how bad the problem was. Everything was rotted. When pulling out insulation it took some of the rotted studs with it. The studs, the main beams between first and second, second and third floors were rotted. The old clapboard had rotted and fallen off the house in many places. I could actually see my neighbors house from my bedroom. Everytime it rained I could now see what had been happening for years. The water would drip down the walls and at this point into my house. This was beyond the mold remediation company's abilities. So the search for a contractor to fix this mess began. A year and a half (and a luckily mild winter without a wall) later I found Steve Swartz. I found Steve on Angie's list. I called him and he came out to assess my house within a week. The estimate took a few weeks to get but we were always in contact. When I got the estimate it was more than I could afford. So we had a long talk about what we could safely take out and what had to be done. The guys he hired, especially the carpenters Joe and Jon, were very professional. They spent at least a day prepping the inside of my house to protect it from the construction zone it was to become. First they did the roof and the small roofs over my bay window and entryway. Much of this was rotted as well. They built a bridge between my roof and my neighbors roof that sloped slightly to the ends toward commercial sized downspouts to handle the water from both roofs. Works like a charm. The first time it rained I couldn't wait to watch it come out those downspouts instead of in my house. Next they started the wall. They built temporary support beams to hold my house up while they removed the rotted wall, studs and beams. They also jacked up each floor to make them more level. The amazing part about this is they had to do the majority of the work from the inside since there was such little space to the house next door. They removed all the siding from the house and replaced it with zip system exterior sheathing which is weather proof so does not need siding over it. In order to install this up three stories they had to become spider man. Literally climbing up the walls with custom made steps to install the sheathing on the top floors. It was amazing. I couldn't believe the extent they went to make sure this was done 100% correct. Steve came by just about everyday to check on how things were going or to make changes. I was always in the loop. We were always communicating about what was happening and how things were going. I lived in my house through all of this. It was incredibly stressful. There was not one room in my house that was not effected by the construction. But they were so great through all of it.They were so careful to cover our bed and furniture everyday so we could sleep there. Jon and Joe became my dog's best friends. He would follow them around and watch what they were doing at all times. The whole project took about a month. It was more than the estimate because they just kept finding more and more rot. I am so lucky to have found Steve and his team. They were brilliant when it came to creatively finding ways to complete this project. I have so much respect for what they do and doing it honestly.

Some of the work was fine but some of it was very frustrating. The work he did was pretty good, all in all. I didn't like all of this contractors, however.

He and his guys are very easy to work with. They were flexible on their timing, punctual, and responsive to our needs. We could tell him what we needed and he was happy to work within our parameters. He would offer us suggestions of how we might be able afford more, and if we didn't know exactly what we wanted but had an idea he was really good at helping make the idea concrete. I know he had a lot of bigger jobs on at the time, but we never felt like we were playing second fiddle. They may not be the cheapest, but I'd be surprised if there is a better value out there.

Let me start off by saying that Steve is a remarkably reliable, responsible and responsive contractor and I start with that because I know that many people are construction-phobic because of horror stories they've heard about contractors.Steve brought a lot of excellent ideas to the project, like recessing that pantry, and we really appreciated that kind of thinking outside the box (literally). My texts and/or phone calls were responded to extremely quickly which was very much appreciated.Steve's carpenters were outstanding and although we had a bit of a problem with the painters, Steve took care of it immediately.When we had to have a repairman come a couple of months later because, as it turns out, a screw on the disposal hadn't been tightened enough when it was installed so it stopped working, Steve paid that bill. I believe that all you can really ask of anyone in life is that they take responsibility for their actions and for those who are acting on their behalf and I was never disappointed in Steve.

Overall, this was a great experience, particularly because Steve and his team were reliable and helpful throughout the process.  As noted above, Steve offered significant value through his suggestions; the team didn't just show up and take care of the work, but offered ideas that enhanced the space.

It was great. Steve was very helpful in coming up with an original solution to create the new offices in a space that was previously the library. He often went above and beyond to help, like helping clear out the thousands of books that were in the library and put them in a safe place into we can relocate them. He was very easy to contact and very friendly and accommodating. He arranged to have the construction done over weekends and early morning so the office wasn’t disrupted too much and we could still work. I cannot say enough good things about this company and the work done. It came out great.

Knowing I had only one bathroom, Steven Swartz promised to complete the work in 2 weeks and he did just that.  His workmen were excellent - competent, timely, helpful.  The work done - electrical, plumbing, tiling, painting, installing shower, vanity, sink, toilet, etc. - was excellent.  The bathroom is beautiful.  After completion of the work, Steve sent in a cleaning crew to clean my entire apartment.  They did a great job.  Since completion of the work, Steve has called to make sure everything is satisfactory.  He has come over to see if anything additional needs to be done.  He was responsive throughout the work to all my questions.  

We are very pleased with both projects. Both took a little longer than we expected but Steve delivered at the quoted price.

He was very good at communicating. He was great at meeting me whenever, because I have weird hours. I can't say enough good things about him. The bathroom was a mess, and he fixed it with such little effort. It looks amazing.

The person I dealt with was Joe. The experience was good. I called and left a message and they got back with me the same day. They were easy to get in touch with. They came when they said they would and charged what they said they would. It was a good service and I was happy with it. They do have a minimum charge of $150. They are the only people that I have used so I?m not sure about the price.

Flexible with meeting times for estimate process, competitive pricing, some delay in getting started on job but not outside the realm of normal (getting shipments of fixtures, etc), good advice on appearance of fixtures, etc. Job was done within two weeks (bathroom partly usable within one week) and the crew cleaned up quite well every day. Quality of work was high, minor issues were addressed promptly.

Our dealings with him were for finishing up some details. We had a different idea for the master bath so he tore out the bathtub that he has installed and put in a walk-in shower. He put in some ceiling fans and brought in a carpenter to build some built-ins. The work he did before we got here was excellent. He had bought this 1903 building and gutted it. We actually bought it from him. He is a real estate developer that subbed out the work with subcontractors. He was very flexible and easy to work with. He had some good ideas and provided input into the design. He did some things that actually saved us money and he was very interested in helping us manage our budget. He was really great.

Steve was a pleasure to work with- he was always easy to get in touch with (either by phone or by email), and he is someone I never had a problem trusting with a set of my keys. Although the project had a couple of snags (which projects don't?), Steve was always quick to solve the problems, and he always stood up for me when the problems involved people he had contracted out (i.e. the granite countertop supplier and cabinet makers). Steve was there to oversee all the work, and would constantly update me with how the project was going and if there were any unforeseen issues. Additionally, during slow periods in the process, Steve offered to take care of a few little things that needed to be done around the apartment, such as fixing an air-conditioning vent, hardwiring smoke/CO2 detectors into the ceilings.

We have been delighted with every aspect of Steve's work, and of the subcontractors he uses. The shower, for example, is stunning and you'd never know it wasn't part of the original design; the cabinetry in the family room looks terrific. Steve has been very easy to work with, accommodating our schedules, arranging for and effectively managing all the subcontractors, and even taking on all the small details (ordering and picking up ceiling fans, mirrors and hardware). We always got exactly what we expected, without surprises. Steve's work seemed fairly priced, and he even found ways to cut our cost through selection of vendors and materials, while maintaining his high standards for quality. Steve takes great pride and has a great passion for his work, and we would recommend him to anyone considering remodeling.

Carnegie Development which is run by Steve Schwartz did an excellent job on our new kitchen. Steve Schwartz is a hands on manager. He stuck to the price he had quoted us. There was no nickel and dime-ing. Everything was straightforward. They came on time and finished within the expected time frame.